Missed Connections
by A.G. Hart
Summary: There's something familiar about the new CSI, but no one can quite put their finger on it. When her life is threatened and connections are exposed, how will the lab cope? GregOC Chapter 9 is here! I will finish, I promise!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or any of its' characters. If I did, well….

Chapter 1

Faeryn Page walked down the hall of the Las Vegas Crime Lab, tired and worn out. Strands of her golden hair had come out of her ponytail and were fallen around her face. Her light blue shirt that was meant to bring out her eyes was stained reddish down the front from an overzealous on-looker with a bad grip on his slushie. She let out a sigh as she looked down at the ruined material. She knew she looked as exhausted as she felt.

As she looked up, she couldn't help but smile because he had just turned the corner and was walking down the hall towards her. The only good thing about working this much overtime was that her shift overlapped with his. They'd been dating three months and she still felt butterflies every time she saw him.

Greg Sanders looked up from his report and saw Fae. He smiled back at her, then shook his head lightly at the state of her shirt. "Rough day?" he asked as he drew near.

She nodded. "Most definitely. How is your day?"

Before he could answer, his phone buzzed, signaling a text message had arrived. He glanced down at it. "Just beginning."

"Got a scene?"

He nodded as he started to walk away.

"You'll come by later?" she made it a question.

He turned around and replied, "It will be late."

Fae gave him a "duh" stare. "Come on, you work graveyard! Of course it's late! But tomorrow's my day off, so I don't care."

"I'll come by when I get off," Greg assured her with a half-cocked smile. Then his phone went off again. He pulled out his phone and looked at it. "Ok, I'm off to work."

"Later," she told him as he turned and continued on his way. Then she went to the locker room to get her stuff and go home. She wanted to take a shower and get a little sleep before Greg knocked on her door.

Before Greg knocked on her door, though, he had to walk through the door of a crime scene. It was a home invasion gone bad. Greg noticed the front door was forced open as he went through the entryway. Other than that, there were no obvious signs anything had happened in the front of the house.

The victim was a 17-year-old girl who had been home alone. From the state of her room, it looked like there had been a struggle. The girl lay on the floor, a shirt wrapped around her neck. However, the girl was still fully dressed. Her blonde hair was hiding some of her face. Greg took pictures of the room, including a pile of dirty clothes in one corner of the room.

"What's the verdict?" Nick Stokes, who was also at the scene, asked the assistant coroner David Phelps.

"It appears to be strangulation, but I'll have to wait for the autopsy to be sure. There is some bruising on her arms and it looks like she suffered a blow to the head from the bruise on her forehead," David replied, showing Greg and Nick what the hair was covering.

"What about T.O.D.?" Greg questioned.

David pushed his glasses up with one finger. "She's been dead about three hours."

Greg turned to a uniform that was standing in the doorway. "Who found the body?"

"The girl's mother, Holly Edwards. She and the father had just returned from their weekly Euchre tournament," the officer responded.

"Man," Nick shook his head. He'd thought after all these years that things like this wouldn't get to him, but they still did.

"Did the parents say if the girl normally stays home when they go to their card game?" Greg inquired.

"The Edwards said that usually Sydney, that's the girl, is at a church youth group, but tonight she wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home," the officer replied.

"I guess my mother was right," Nick said to no one in particular.

"Right about what?" Greg asked.

"Missing church really can be the death of you," Nick solemnly answered.

Greg was glad to be off work as he pulled in to Fae's driveway. He needed comfort right now, and that was something he always found in Fae's arms. It was why he enjoyed, so much, coming to her house when he got off of shift. He knew exactly what to expect.

Greg rang the doorbell and waited. He knew it would take her a couple minutes to get out of bed and answer the door, so he just stood there. He knew his patience would be rewarded when she opened the door, wearing her shorts and tank top that passed for pajamas to her. And he was right.

This morning, the shorts were a royal blue, her favorite color, and the tank top was a solid, non-see-through white. Her shoulder-length hair was a little messed up. She stretched and yawned as she opened the door, giving him a peek at a small span of skin between the bottom of her shirt and the top of her shorts.

"Top of the morning to you, Greg," she greeted him in her usually playful manner.

"And the rest of the day to you," he responded as he walked in the door. He closed it behind him and made sure it was securely locked. Then he followed her back to her bedroom, stripping his clothes as he went.

"How was your shift?" she turned only her head to ask.

"Dead teenager, heart-broken parents, so pretty bad," he told her. As they passed the bathroom he added, "You mind if I take a shower before we go to bed?"

She stopped and turned around to look at him. "You've never asked me that before. Normally you take a shower at the lab."

"I didn't want to waste any time getting here," he smiled.

She walked up to him and gave him a hug. She did a quick, playful sniff, crinkled her nose, and then answered, "Yes, please, take a shower."

Greg let out a slight chuckle. Fae always had a way of making him feel better. "Thank you."

"Extra towels and wash clothes are in the closet. I only have girlie soap and shampoo, though."

"I think I can survive smelling like you for a little while," he smiled and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll be quick," he promised as he ducked in to the bathroom.

Fae continued on to the bedroom and laid down to wait for Greg. She was still pretty tired. She hadn't actually gotten much sleep. Because of a recent case, her nightmares had come back to haunt her. Every time she fell asleep, she would be back in graduate school. Back, walking across campus to her car at 1am because she had lost track of time while in the library doing research, even though she knew better. And no matter what path she took across campus she always passed the alley.

Fae felt an arm sliding around her waist. Her whole body tensed. She was about to scream when she heard a familiar voice.

"It's just me," Greg assured her, giving her a light kiss on the back of her neck, as he spooned her.

Fae immediately relaxed. "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep."

He laughed. "I wasn't in there _that_ long."

She smiled even though he couldn't see it. "It's not that," she told him. "I just didn't get much sleep last night."

Greg gave her a little squeeze, "More nightmares?" Greg knew about Fae being attacked a few years ago. It was one of the reasons he didn't mind when they slept together all they actually did was sleep. And he knew how a recent case had been giving her nightmares. He'd comforted her on more than one occasion because of them.

"Yea," she said as she turned to face Greg. She placed her hand on his cheek. "But I feel much better now that you're here."

Greg took her hand in his and brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss. "I'll gladly be your security blanket any day."

She let out a little giggle. Then she gave him a quick kiss. "You are the best."

"I know," he jokingly replied.

She giggled again and snuggled closer in to him. He pressed his lips to her forehead. Then they both closed their eyes and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Greg awoke to some gentle shaking. He blinked open his eyes in the darkened room, but despite the darkness he instantly knew where he was. It was fast becoming his favorite place to wake-up; Fae's apartment.

He rolled on to his back so that he could see Fae. The sheet and blanket got twisted, leaving Greg bare from the waist up. Fae smiled as she lightly ran a hand down his chest.

"Hey sleepy-head," she greeted him.

"Good…um, what time is it?" Greg smiled back at her.

"Afternoon," she finished for him. "It's about 2pm…and I have to go to work."

Greg sat up and gave her a fake pout. "But it's your day off!"

"I know, I know," she rolled her eyes. "But they need an extra body on swing."

"But swing doesn't start for another couple hours!" Greg continued his protest.

"I know, but day shift is swamped and so asked for help from swing, which is now getting swamped. And, since I'm the day/swing floater, not to mention low man on the totem pole…"

"Low man on the totem pole? But you've worked at the lab for eight months!"

"Ok, I'm the only sucker left that will say yes and the only one who hasn't maxed out on over-time," she playfully conceded.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her in to a hug. Then he kissed her on the cheek. "Not a sucker, just a hard worker. And the best girlfriend in the world."

"Now you're just trying to butter me up so I'll get you coffee," she laughed.

"Would I do that?" he batted his eyelashes at her.

She laughed again. "Uh…yeah!"

He pushed her back on the bed and started to tickle her. "Uh yeah!" he mimicked her as her giggles grew louder. He had his knees on either side of her waist as her legs kicked up and down trying to get him to stop.

"Stop…please…stop!" she breathed through her laughs, as she grabbed at his bare arms.

Greg decided to have mercy on her and stopped. He kissed her and then rolled to the side so that he was lying next to her.

"Thank you, thank you," she sighed with a hint of laughter still in her voice.

A huge smile crossed Greg's face. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this content. He turned his head to look at her and found her looking at him. What he didn't know was she was having the exact same thought he was.

Her cell phone rang, interrupting their moment of peace. She rolled her eyes and sat up. She grabbed her phone of the nightstand and answered it, "Page."

She made a few affirmative noises, apparently listening to whoever was on the other line. Finally she said, "Ok, I'm on my way." Then she hung up her phone.

"The lab," it was more of a statement than a question from Greg.

Fae nodded. "The Mistress beckons. Apparently I'm taking too long."

"The mistress?" Greg tried not to laugh.

She smiled wide. "The Mistress Catherine, my swing shift slave driver."

The laugh Greg had been holding back spilled forth. "I'll have to remember that."

"If you repeat that, you're a dead man!" she lightly hit his arm. "But I do need to get going."

Greg threw the covers off of himself. "Well, give me five minutes and I'll be ready to go."

"You don't have to rush," she started, then hesitated slightly. "I mean, I can give you an extra key and you could let yourself out."

"I would be honored with the, um, honor."

She gave him a wry smile. "Ha, ha. Ok, let me go hunt it down and I'll be back."

Fae quickly found the key and gave it to Greg, along with a cup of coffee. She convinced herself she was doing the right thing. She knew it was good for someone to have an extra key in case she locked herself out or something like that. And, at that moment in time, she couldn't think of anyone she trusted more than Greg.

They said their good-byes and she went on to work. Greg felt a little awkward being in her house without her, so he didn't stay very long. He needed to get home and take a shower so he didn't smell quite as girly anyway. He grabbed a quick sandwich before he double-checked all the doors, then went on his way, anticipating the next time he would be back.

Fae pulled up to the scene and shook her head. The rundown motel had definitely seen better days. Of course, any day there is a murder, is not a good day. But she doubted this place saw many good days in the first place.

She got out of her car and grabbed her kit from the backseat. She let out a sigh as she walked to the room. Right now the only place she really wanted to be was in Greg's arms.

She rolled her eyes at herself. What was she thinking? They'd only been dating for three months, only even known the other person's name for seven months! She could tell she was falling for him though. She shook her head. That was not a thought she wanted to think. Besides, she needed to concentrate on the scene at hand.

Fae walked to the room with the police standing guard. It was a good indication where the crime had occurred. Of course, it was also the only room that appeared to actually have people in it.

Fae scanned the room from the threshold. The first thing to catch her eye was the victim. There was what appeared to be a woman, twisted in the bloody sheets on the bed. One arm was above the woman's head, the other lost to the sheets. Her eyes, which were completely visible due to her short hair, were frozen open in shock. Her mouth was twisted in a scream of desperation.

"Hey Fae," Catherine greeted her. Catherine had liked Fae since the day she started. Fae was a hard worker and always willing to help.

Fae nodded in response. "What do you want me to do?"

"Dust everything for prints. I'm sure you'll find plenty," Catherine smiled glumly.

"Your wish is my command," Fae did a slight bow at her waist. Then she got to work.

It was half way through Greg's shift and he was sitting in the lab, going through the pile of the dirty clothes that had been brought in from Sydney Edwards' room. He wasn't really finding anything interesting or helpful. It was pretty much just a pile of dirty clothes, so he wasn't disappointed when his cell phone rang.

"Sanders," he answered without looking at the ID. He was sure it was Grissom, hopefully with a scene.

"Greg," it was Grissom. "I need you at a scene." He gave Greg the address.

Greg's heart stopped. Before he thought about what he was saying he asked, "Is Faeryn ok?"

"She got banged up pretty bad putting up a fight, but she'll live," Grissom responded, then let Greg's question actually sink in. "How did you know it was Faeryn Page's house?"

Greg let out a sigh. "Fae is my girlfriend," he answered plainly.

"When was the last time you were here?" Grissom inquired.

"Before I came in to work today," Greg replied. "I'm all over that house."

"Then it's best you don't come. You need to stay away from this evidence when it comes in too."

"I understand," Greg replied. He hesitated for a moment, then started to ask, "Is it…" Greg stopped himself, not knowing if it was actually proper to ask.

Grissom could hear the unfinished question. "Yes, you can go check on her."

Greg let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. "Thank you." He hung up the phone, then carefully started to put the evidence away. He couldn't think of anything but making sure that Fae was ok.

Grissom hung up the phone with Greg and quickly dialed Nick. After giving Nick the run down, he went in to the house to start processing the scene. Of course, while talking to Nick, Grissom had left out that Faeryn was Greg's girlfriend. He didn't want to taint any evidence collection. There wasn't a hair or fiber that was going to be missed when one of the lab's own was harmed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Greg rushed in to the hospital and up to the first desk he found. He quickly ascertained which room Fae was in and didn't waste any time getting there. Grissom had said she was banged up, but ok—which may be the truth physically, but the rest of the lab didn't know about her previous assault.

Greg walked in to the hospital room where Fae lay. Her eyes were shut tight, with tears coming down the sides. Her left cheek had a tended cut that ran the length of her cheekbone with serious discoloration surrounding it. Her arms had some four and one bruising, where she was obviously grabbed and hard. Her knuckles were covered with cuts. He could only imagine the bruising her gown covered.

"Fae," it came out as almost a cry. Greg flashed back to his own assault and didn't want to imagine Fae in that type of pain.

She opened her eyes and a sad smile crossed her lips. "Hey Greg," she greeted him in a soft voice, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You're here."

Greg rushed across the room and carefully put his arms around her. "I came as soon as I heard."

She pulled back slightly. "How _did_ you find out?"

"Grissom was calling me to the scene. I recognized the address," he told her.

"So, the cat's out of the bag," she tried to change the subject.

He smiled slightly, realizing what she was doing and allowing her to do it. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"No," she answered and gave him a quick kiss, wincing slightly due to her busted lip.

He gently stroked her back. "So, you're ok?" he asked.

"I'm…shaken, but alright." She paused then added, "You should see the other guy."

Greg let out a small chuckle. "I can only imagine."

"Did they catch the guy?" she hopefully asked.

Greg started to shake his head. "I don't know. I didn't even think to ask. I was just worried about you."

Fae grimaced a little. She didn't like the idea of going home alone. Then she realized she wouldn't be able to go home until they were done processing it and they were going to release her before that time. She really didn't like the idea of going to a hotel room alone, even for one night.

"Um, I was wondering," she paused, not knowing how to ask. "Maybe I could…"

Greg figured out what she was trying to ask. "You want to stay with me for a couple of days?"

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all. I stay at your place all the time," he replied. "It'll be a nice change."

"Thank you so much," she gave him a quick squeeze.

"But you know I can't take off of work, especially with you out for a couple days," Greg told her.

"I know," she assured him. "But I'll feel safer."

"Well, mi casa es su casa."

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"So, a CSI was the vic?" Nick Stokes asked Grissom as he walked in.

"Faeryn Page, from the swing shift," Grissom answered.

"Ahhh, one of Catherine's," Nick said, Faeryn's face popping in to his mind. He'd spoken with her a number of times and thought she was nice. Not to mention cute and smart. It was just too bad she wasn't interested in him. "What went down?"

"Apparently, Page got home from work and found a man rummaging around her house," Grissom started to explain. "She started to call the police when he became aware she was in the house. That's when the confrontation ensued."

Nick took a look around. There were picture frames fragmented on the floor. Furniture was over turned. And the walls were now streaked with blood. "She ok?"

Grissom nodded. "She has some defensive wounds and other various injuries from the altercation, but she's fine."

"They get the guy?" Nick tried to quickly quelled his anger. He hated men who beat up women.

"He got away before the police got here," Grissom told him.

"Do they at least have a good description of him?" Nick couldn't stand the idea of the guy getting away.

"Page got a good look at the man and we have a working description," Grissom confirmed.

"Good. Where do you want me to start?" Nick wanted to get down to business.

"Why don't you start in the kitchen," Grissom responded. "I've already started in here."

"Gotcha," Nick said then headed in the direction Grissom had indicated.

Once Nick had started for the kitchen, Grissom continued searching the room for evidence of what had happened. He noticed what looked like a piece of cloth amid one of the broken picture frames. He took a couple of pictures then crouched down to pick it up.

Grissom let out a hiss as an unseen piece of glass sliced his glove and his hand. Blood quickly welled in the cut and fell on to the piece of glass. Grissom quickly withdrew his hand and held it up, trying not to drip any more blood.

"Nick!" Grissom called.

"What's up?" Nick responded, walking down the hall towards Grissom.

Grissom held up his wounded hand. "I've got to clean and dress this. I'll be back inside in ten minutes."

"Do you need a hand?" Nick asked with a smile.

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"I can't believe I've never been to your apartment before," Fae told Greg as he ushered her in.

"It's not much, but it's home," he responded as he shut the door.

She looked around to see how Greg lived. His living room held a black couch and coffee table set in front of a flat screen TV. One wall of the living room was lined with shelves full of books, DVDs and CDs. Fae made a mental note to check out the titles when she had the chance. Another wall held a small desk with a laptop, printer, and other various computing equipment. The light gray walls held some framed posters for movies and bands.

The kitchen was immediately to the right, separated from the living room by a half wall with carved posts reaching from the top of the wall to the ceiling. The appliances in the kitchen were black and there was a small two-seater table shoved into one corner. Although she doubted he ate at it due to the pile of papers stacked on top of it.

Greg led her down a short hall. "That's the guest bathroom," he pointed to a door on the right. "And that's the spare bedroom, although, I use it as a music room," he pointed to an open door on the left.

Fae peered in and saw a huge stereo along the far wall. There were a few guitars-two electrics, one acoustic-in stands along the opposite wall. There were also various amps, headphones and other equipment.

"You play?" Fae was a little surprised because it hadn't come up before.

"I mess around," Greg replied. "Do you play?"

Fae let out a small laugh. "The only thing I can play is a CD."

"Maybe I can give you a few lessons," Greg smiled as he continued down the hall. "And this is the master bedroom."

Fae looked in to the open door way. There was a king sized bed against one wall that took up about half the room. The bedspread was checkered black and white. Filling up the rest of the wall the bed was on was a dark wood dresser. A matching high boy stood next to an open door that Fae assumed led to the other bathroom.

"If you want, you can have the bed and I'll sleep on the couch," Greg offered.

"Don't be silly," Fae responded. "I like sleeping next to you."

A grin spread across Greg's face. He put down Fae's suitcase and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. "Well, you know you can stay for as long as you want."

She stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips. "I may hold you to that."

"I hope you do," he replied. "I sure hope you do."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Greg ran a hand through his slightly damp hair as he let out a breath. He knew he shouldn't be this nervous. He'd spent the night at Fae's house numerous times, so why her spending the night at his house bothered him so much, he couldn't figure out. Although he was pretty sure it had something to do with the fact her parents were coming and it was somewhat obvious he didn't have a spare bed.

Greg opened the bathroom door and stepped out in to his room. Fae was sitting with her back against the wall and her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around them. Her head was down with her forehead resting on top of her knees. Greg could see little movements that indicated to him she was crying.

He quickly moved beside her, slipping an arm around her. She looked up at him and confirmed his suspicions, there were tears streaks down her cheeks. Then she let go of her legs and threw her arms around Greg. Her sobbing increased.

"It's ok," he whispered, pulling her fully into his arms. He kissed her forehead and added, "You're safe here."

She nodded against his shoulder. "I know," she told him. "I just…can't believe…again," was all of her thought she could manage to verbalize.

Greg wanted to comfort her, to make it all better. He thought of millions of words to say, but none of them seemed right. So he just held her and offered her reassurances until she finally fell asleep, knowing he would do everything he could to make sure all of his reassurances came true.

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Wendy's eyes widened, not believing the test results even though this was the third time she had done the test. She figured she must have made some mistake, but the results were the same. The DNA was a collateral match.

Wendy didn't know whom she should go to. Gil? Catherine? God-forbid, Ecklie? What would be the recourse of her actions? The lab really didn't need to lose another CSI. Plus, she really liked Fae. Ultimately, she knew whom she had to go to. Gil was her supervisor. And he deserved to know.

Wendy put the report in a manilla envelope. She was going to do this the cowardly way and just leave it in his mail in box. Maybe he would never see it but she would be covered because technically she gave it to him. Or at least, maybe it would delay the inevitable.

Wendy peered into Grissom's office. He wasn't there. She quietly walked in, feeling as if she were doing something wrong. She made her way to his desk and laid the envelope on top of the pile in his in box. Then she quietly left, hoping it would all turn out alright, knowing she could never tell anyone what she'd found.

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Greg paced across his living room. He was waiting for the knock that signaled Fae's parents had arrived. He hadn't been this anxious since he picked up his senior prom date. And he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Greg really liked Fae. Hell, he was on the verge of saying he loved her—and after only three months. But sometimes when it's right, it's just right. However, he wasn't quite ready to spill his guts to her. He knew she been through some rough times and didn't want to scare her off. Women like Faeryn were hard to find.

"It'll be ok Greg, really," Fae reassured him coming in to the room. "My parents are really laid back."

"So you've told me," he responded. "But they know you stayed here and I don't have an extra bed."

Fae let out a small giggle. "Greg, I'm 31. I'm allowed to sleep wherever I please. And my parents won't care!"

Greg sighed. "It's just…not a good first impression."

Fae's smile didn't fade. "Greg, you took care of me after I was hurt. What better first impression could there be?"

Greg gave her a small smile indicating he conceded her point. "Ok, ok, you win. But it's still a little nerve racking. How would you feel if it were my parents?"

An evil smirk crossed her face. "When _do_ I get to meet your parents?"

"I didn't know you wanted to meet my parents," Greg replied, wondering how they had gotten in to this conversation. Luckily they were both saved by a knock on the door.

Greg raced to the door, not wanting to keep the Pages waiting. He took a quick second to fix a smile to his face, then he opened the door.

"You must be Greg!" the smiling, older woman greeted him. Greg barely got a look at her before she quickly stepped in the door and threw her arms around him. What he did see was a woman who was about 5'7" with blonde hair. "It's so nice to meet you!"

Behind her, a tall, solid man with salt and pepper hair smiled as he shook his head. "Jackie, give the poor guy some room. What if it's the wrong apartment?"

"Hi dad!" Fae called from behind the awkward Greg trapped in Jackie's embrace.

Jackie pulled back from Greg. "See, it's the right place." Then she grabbed him again in a tight hug.

Bruce Page rolled his eyes at his wife, stepping around her to hug his daughter. "It's so good to see you."

"I'm glad to see you, too, Dad," Fae hugged him back. "I just wish it had been under better circumstances."

Jackie let go of Greg and shooed Bruce away from Fae. Then she gave Fae the same tight hug she'd given Greg. "It's been too long, honey."

"Bruce Page," he stuck out his large hand to Greg.

"Greg Sanders. It's nice to meet you, sir," Greg returned a firm handshake, trying not to be intimidated by the six-foot-five Bruce.

"Please, call me Bruce," he offered, along with a friendly smile.

Greg nodded. "Did you find the place alright?"

"Your directions were great," Bruce told him.

"And thank you for looking after Fae," Jackie added, pushing a strand of hair behind Fae's ear.

Greg looked at Fae, a smile on his face. "It's my pleasure. Fae's safety is very important to me."

"I can take care of myself, thank you," Fae butted in.

"We all need help every now and again," Jackie replied, running her hand up and down Fae's back.

"I know, I know," Fae rolled her eyes. "Some of us just don't like to admit it."

"Well, not to change the subject, but I'm going to admit to being starving," Bruce grinned.

"Then let's get something to eat," Greg suggested. "Anything in particular you had in mind?"

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Dinner was over and Fae was safe with her parents. Greg still had to work. He was once again scanning the clothes of Sydney Edwards. He didn't know why, but he felt there was something he was missing. So he was being extra careful in looking them over. Not to mention he needed something to keep his mind off of worrying about Fae.

_Don't think about Fae,_ he commanded himself after letting his thoughts wander. He then concentrated harder on the pile of clothing at hand. And that's when he saw it. It was a small brownish-red stain the shirt that was around Sydney's neck. Greg could only hope it led them to her killer.

He quickly took pictures of the shirt and stain. Then, very carefully, he cut a small swatch of cloth around the stain. His first priority was getting it to Wendy.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Fae was staring at the report in front of her, trying to get it to make sense. It wasn't that anything was wrong with the report, it was simply her brain being stubborn. She knew she probably shouldn't be back at work so soon, but she couldn't stay home for another day. She didn't want to ask Greg to take any more time off of work and she couldn't be alone with her parents anymore. They treated her like she was three, not 31. Not to mention, with her out and Warrick gone, plus the other empty days position, the lab was already short staffed.

Hodges walked in to the lab where Fae was. "So, Sanders huh?"

Fae looked up and was semi-grateful for the distraction. "Yea, Sanders," Fae answered the unverbalized question.

"I thought you didn't date coworkers," Hodges stated, repeating the reason she had given him when she turned him down.

Fae smiled. "It wasn't anything purposeful, David. I had a flat tire and had an appointment to get to. I couldn't wait for a tow so Greg gave me a ride."

Fae remembered that ride well. Greg had made some off-handed comment then turned and smiled at her. She hadn't thought of him as handsome before that smile. There was something about the boyishness in his smile that made her give him a second look. In fact, it was that smile that made her offer to take him to dinner as repayment for the ride.

"The rest is history," She added.

Hodges opened his mouth to say something else, when Grissom stuck his head in the door. "Page, I need to see you in my office," he ordered gruffly.

She was a little surprised. She didn't have much interaction with him and he was usually very civil from what she'd seen. His tone of voice was something she hadn't heard before.

Hodges gave her a questioning look. Her only reply was a shrug. She didn't have any idea what this was about. However, he was a supervisor so she listened.

Fae walked in to Grissom's office a little hesitantly. Grissom motioned for her to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk. If his expression was any indication of the conversation to come, she had probably screwed something up and was about to be fired.

"What can I do for you, Dr. Grissom?" she asked.

"What's the meaning of this?" he pointed at a couple reports on his desk in front of her.

She didn't know what he was so upset about, so she picked up the reports and looked at them. "It appears to be two DNA reports."

Grissom's face turned more sour. "I know they are DNA reports. How did you fake them?"

Fae didn't like where this was going. "What are you talking about? Wendy does the DNA reports, not me."

"How did you fake the DNA sample?" Grissom's anger was on the threshold of breaking.

"Why would I fake a DNA sample?" Fae was really confused by both Grissom's anger and the conversation.

"Not a DNA sample, _your_ DNA sample," Grissom didn't like people playing this type of joke on him.

Fae took another look at the reports. "But these reports show that I am related to whoever this is," she indicated the other profile.

"That's my profile," Grissom told her.

Now it was Fae's turn to be angry. "Look, Dr. Grissom, I don't know who put you up to this, but it's not funny."

"Put _me_ up to it?" Grissom was incredulous.

"Sure, pick on the poor adopted girl," Fae muttered under her breath. "Hodges is so dead." He must be giving her a hard time for dating Greg.

Grissom's anger turned and caused a weight to drop in his stomach. "You're adopted?"

Fae nodded. "When I was a year old."

"Do you know who your birth mother is?" Grissom started to think logically. Her age did put her in the range of possibility.

"Nope," Fae responded, still angry and not understanding what was going on. "Which is why I don't find this very funny and am going to hurt badly whoever put you up to this."

"So you had no idea about this?" Grissom was just trying to clarify.

"About what? Some sick joke? I had no idea," Fae responded, still pissed off.

"Faeryn, it's not a joke," Grissom told her. "These results are accurate."

"Oh shit," Fae breathed out. "Brother?" It was the least complicated relation.

Grissom shook his head. "My father died when I was nine and my mother didn't have any children after me."

"Well, you can't be my son," Fae replied, trying to be logical.

"Which means…" Grissom couldn't comprehend the thought, let alone finish it.

But he didn't have to, because Fae did. "I'm your daughter."

There was an awkward moment of silence between them. Each searched the other's face for signs of familiarity, something to prove what the DNA said. And each waited for the other's reaction. Fae broke first.

"Does anyone else know?" she inquired.

"Just Wendy," Grissom responded.

"You didn't know?" Fae was trying to understand.

"I had no idea."

"Well, then we just need to tell Wendy to forget it and you can continue having no idea," Fae told him as she stood.

Grissom was taken aback by her statement. Fae could tell by the look on his face that he didn't understand her reasoning.

"Look, Grissom," she started, "I was raised by two of the most loving people I've ever known. They've always treated me like their daughter even after they had two biological children. I gave up on finding my biological parents when my records were opened at 18 and you had no idea I even existed. Why upset everyone's lives?"

"There are policies regarding relatives and the lab," Grissom had to think about the lab, especially after what happened with Sarah. Ecklie would have his head if another scandal popped up.

"You're not my supervisor. You don't perform my reviews. There's nothing to tell," Fae responded.

"Still, Ecklie needs to know," Grissom hated saying the words, but some things were more important that his personal feelings. Plus it was a way to get her to not forget the subject.

"Fine, tell Ecklie. Then I don't ever want to hear about it again." Fae turned, signaling her part of the conversation was over. Then she walked out of his office.

Grissom sat there, stunned. It was almost as if she was repulsed by the idea of being his daughter. He gave a sad half laugh at himself. Who would want to be his daughter? Relationships had never been his strong point. What type of father could he possibly be? Especially to an adult daughter he's never known or even suspected existed.

Fae didn't stop walking when she exited his office. She continued walking to the front door and out to the parking lot. When she found an SUV at the corner of the lot to hide behind, she doubled over and started to cry. Her emotions were at war.

She was excited at the possibility of knowing her biological parents. She was devastated that Grissom never knew she existed. She was puzzled about what happened with her biological mother. And she was scared about what her parents would say about this development. Then of course, there was how Greg would feel about this.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She couldn't go back in to the lab with red eyes. They might think it had to do with her attack and then they'd make her go home. Which, right now, was the last place she wanted to go. How could she face her parents?

"Fae?" Catherine's concerned voice called to her.

Fae turned to look behind her, slightly startled. "Catherine," she greeted her supervisor, trying to quickly wipe her eyes.

"Are you ok?" Catherine asked.

Fae gave her best fake grin. "I'm fine. Just needed some fresh air."

"You look like you've been crying," Catherine observed.

_Great,_ Fae thought. _Do I have Grissom's forgotten bastard daughter written across my forehead too?_ "I got something in my eye," she lied.

"Ok," Catherine responded, not believing her. She knew better than to push, though. "I was actually going to find you once I got inside," Catherine told her. "I wanted to see if you had gotten the reports on the Jane Doe from the hotel."

Fae was grateful for Catherine's ability to know what lines not to cross. "Actually, she's not a Jane Doe anymore. Mandy got a hit on the prints. I just got the report and haven't had time to give it a full look over."

"Well, let's go look at it together," Catherine stated, motioning for Fae to lead the way back in to the building.

Fae was glad that she and Catherine had missed Grissom on their way to her office. She didn't know how good her acting skills were at the moment and needed some time to practice before seeing him again. Indifference was how she had to play this. Grissom didn't want her, that was apparent by his reaction.

"Earth to Fae," Catherine was trying to get her attention.

"Huh?" Fae responded. She was lost in her thoughts.

"I was asking if anyone's been sent to this," Catherine looked down at the report. "Kylie Simmons' apartment yet?"

"I don't think so. The identification was just made like 30 minutes ago."

"Well, let's get together with Brass and go check it out," Catherine stated.

Fae stood up getting ready to go, when Grissom stepped in to Catherine's office. They stood nose to nose for a moment, each trying to figure out what the other was feeling. Catherine noticed something strange pass between them, but couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

"What's up Grissom?" Catherine asked, breaking the trace Fae and Grissom were in.

Fae ducked her head and stepped around Grissom. Then she quickly left Catherine's office.

"I, uh, wanted to talk to you about something," Grissom replied, taking a quick look over his shoulder in the direction Fae disappeared.

"Can it wait? I've got a scene," Catherine told him.

"It can wait," Grissom responded. It had only been 31 years. A day or two wasn't going to make any difference.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Faeryn Page walked in to her house to the smell of her mother cooking dinner. Her stomach turned from the smell of food. It was still twisted in knots from the day's revelation. And now she had to figure out a way to tell her parents.

"Is that you, Fae?" her mom called from the kitchen.

"Who else would it be, mom?" she called back.

"Dinner will be ready in five minutes," Jackie told her.

"Where's dad?" Fae asked, noting he wasn't in the recliner watching ESPN as usual.

"One of the boys called and wanted to talk to him about guy stuff, so he's in the back bedroom," her mom replied as Fae walked in to the kitchen.

Fae smiled at the memory her mother's statement brought on. As far back as Fae could remember, Bruce Page had always allowed the guys he coached on the football team to call him. He was a surrogate father for some of the boys who grew up in homes with single mothers and confidant to boys who had no one else to turn to for advice. Fae always loved the approachableness of her father.

She let out a sigh. _Father,_ she thought, thinking of the meaning of the word. Wondering if she could really tell her parents she had found her biological father.

Jackie turned to face her daughter and noticed the expression on her face. "Is something wrong, honey?"

Fae shook her head for a minute, not able to find her voice. She let out another wavering sigh as she tried to hold back her tears. "Not wrong, just…" she didn't know the right word.

"I thought that was you I heard," Bruce Page stated as he walked in to the kitchen. Then he noticed the expression on his wife's face. "Is everything ok?"

Fae turned so that she wasn't facing either parent, but both could see her face. "There's been an interesting development at work."

"What is it?" her parents asked in unison.

Fae leaned against the counter top for support. "I've found my biological father."

"What?" her mother gasped.

Her father stood there in silent shock.

"I know, it's crazy," Fae responded.

"After all this time? How?" her father questioned.

"With the break in, they had to compare all the blood in the house, to see which was mine and which was the guy who broke in," Fae started to explain to her parents.

"The guy who broke in here was your father?" her mom was incredulous.

"No, no." Fae shook her head. "Let me finish. One of the other CSIs also cut his hand so they had to run his blood to rule it out as well. Wendy, the DNA tech, noticed a commonality and after closer examination, it turns out, he's my father."

"Someone you work with?" her father asked.

"Sort of," Far responded. "It's the graveyard shift supervisor, Gil Grissom."

"Wow," her mom said.

"Holy guacamole," her dad chimed in. Then he added, "What did he say about it?"

Fae let out another sigh. She was still nervous, but her parents were taking this a lot better than she thought they would. "He says he didn't know anything about me."

"Do you believe him?" her mother asked.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I don't know if I even care. He didn't seem to be too thrilled with the idea either way."

"Now, hold on a second, honey," Bruce stopped his daughter. "Give the man some time. He just found out after 31 years that he has a daughter. He was probably in shock."

Fae hadn't thought about that. "You're right. I didn't even think about that."

"It might be worth having a second conversation with him about it. Maybe he can give you some information on your birth mother. Not to mention he could help you with a family health history," her father continued being logical.

Fae let out a sigh. "Why do you have to make so much sense?" she asked her dad.

"Wait," her mom interjected. "Isn't Greg on the graveyard shift?"

Fae only nodded her answer.

"That means his boss is this Gil Grissom guy?" Jackie sought to clarify.

Fae nodded again, her lips twisted in an unhappy smile.

"Does he know yet? Greg, I mean," Jackie inquired.

"I haven't had the chance to tell him. I don't know if I should tell him or just break up with him," Fae was honest with her parents. "I don't think they'd let him stay on Grissom's team and I just don't feel right making him choose between me and the people he's worked with for the last decade or so."

"Sweetheart," Jackie placed her hand on Fae's arm. "Greg cares for you a lot. He deserves to be given the choice."

"Mom, this isn't the fairytale of you and dad," Fae rebuffed her mom, remembering the story of how they met.

Jackie Fuller had just started her first job teaching ninth grade English. Her first day there, she was having problems with a vending machine. That's where Bruce Page came in. He was a few years older, a history teacher, and the assistant football coach. He helped her get her soda and was her knight in shining armor ever since.

Jackie rolled her eyes. Her life had not been a fairytale. "Regardless, he deserves to have the choice."

Fae knew her mother was right. Greg meant too much to her, had done too much for her. She couldn't just leave him without explanation. She just didn't know how.

Jackie smiled that knowing smile. "You agree with me."

"Yes, I agree with you," Fae reluctantly admitted.

"Good. That's settled. Now, what do you know about Gil Grissom?" her mother asked.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Faeryn Page stood outside Greg Sanders' door. Fae wiped her hands down her jeans, trying to get rid of the sweat. Her heart thudded in her chest, marking the seconds since she knocked on the door. She wasn't sure she could do this, but knew she had to.

She hadn't realized how quick she had gotten to his house, until the door started to open, revealing a towel-clad Greg. He had called right as he left work, letting her know she could come over. She waited about thirty minutes before leaving home, knowing Greg liked to shower after work. She thought she had given him enough time, but obviously, she hadn't.

She walked through the doorway and entered in to the front hall. As she passed Greg, he closed the door and then pulled her into his arms. He surprised her by kissing her fiercely.

"What was that for?" she asked after he let her go.

"The look on your face. You feel better now?" he grinned as he said it.

She gave him a small smile. "Slightly. But I really need to talk to you."

"What's going on?" he asked, walking with her in to the kitchen to get some coffee.

"Can I make a request before we I go on?"

"Of course," Greg answered, pouring two cups.

"Can you put some clothes on?" she requested sheepishly. "You're kind of distracting like that." She motioned towards his half-nakedness.

"Maybe I like being distracting," he replied with a sly smile.

"Please?"

"Ok," he finally told her. "Give me a minute." He walked back towards his bedroom to put on some clothes.

After what felt like an eternity to Fae, she heard Greg come padding back towards the kitchen. He appeared in blue plaid pajama pants and a solid white t-shirt.

"Not to get off subject before we get on subject," Greg started as he sat down in a chair next to her. "But Hodges said you had a pretty interesting looking run-in with Grissom today. Well, yesterday." He corrected himself after looking at the clock.

"Actually, that _is_ what I wanted to talk to you about," she admitted.

"What did he want to talk to you about?" Greg inquired.

"Well, you know they ran my DNA from the attack," Fae began.

Greg just nodded.

"Well, they found a collateral match."

"Who?" Greg was really interested. "And what relation?"

"They found my birth father," Fae told him.

Greg was cautious with his expression. "Is that good or bad?"

"Depends on how you look at it," she replied. Then she let out her breath loudly, bracing herself. "My birth father is Gil Grissom."

"Wow," Greg responded. "Just…Wow."

"You're telling me! And Grissom is going to tell Ecklie."

"Crap," Greg exclaimed. "When Ecklie finds out, he probably won't let me stay on graveyard."

"I know," Fae looked down at her hands. "I mean, I understand if you don't want to see me anymore. I can't ask you to choose between your life for the last ten years and me."

Greg placed his hand on Fae's cheek and lifted her head. "Fae, I love my job and my coworkers. But, I love you—more."

Fae was in shock. It took her a moment to recover, but when she did she grabbed him, pulled him close and kissed him. When her lips left his, she told him, "I love you, too."

"Good to know," he said, a wide smile crossing his face. "Good to know."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Catherine knocked on Grissom's doorframe. "You still want to talk to me?" She knew she was a day late, but things had been busy.

Grissom looked at his watch. He had a meeting with Ecklie regarding the same subject soon. "Yes. Please close the door."

Catherine walked in to Grissom's office, closing the door behind her. Then she took one of the chairs opposite his desk. "What's up?"

"What do you know about Faeryn Page?" he asked.

"Good CSI. Worked in Phoenix for a while before coming here. Is there something going on I need to know about?" She was a little suspicious. Grissom never really asked about anyone.

Grissom struggled with what to say. "I want you to hear this from me."

"What's going on?" Catherine's concern grew.

"Faeryn Page is my daughter," he stated.

Catherine's jaw dropped. She couldn't have been more surprised if he'd reached across the desk and slapped her. "Daughter? As in 'flesh of my flesh' and 'blood of my blood' daughter?"

Grissom nodded.

"And you're just now telling me?" Catherine was in shock.

"I just now found out," he told her honestly.

"You didn't know you had a daughter?" She couldn't imagine not knowing that there was a child out there with half her DNA. "But you know who the mother is, right?"

Grissom again nodded. "My college girlfriend, Tess Wilson," he replied. "We were lab partners sophomore year and our relationship just grew. But just as our senior year started, she left without a good-bye. I never saw or heard from her again."

"Then how can you be sure she's Faeryn's mother?" Catherine questioned.

Grissom smiled slightly. "She's the only one who fits the time line," he replied.

"Ahhh, of course." She should have known. "Are you…okay with it?"

"I don't know how I can be anything but okay with it," Grissom responded. "It's her that I don't think is ok with it."

"Why would you say that?" Catherine wondered.

"When we figured it out, she told me to just forget it," Grissom remembered with a pang her words.

"You think maybe she was just in shock?"

Grissom shrugged. "I don't know, but I 'm not going to push. She's obviously done well for herself. She doesn't need me now."

Before Catherine could say another word, Grissom's desk phone rang. He quickly picked it up. "Ok, I'll be right there," he said in to the phone before hanging up.

Catherine looked at him questioningly.

"Ecklie, he's waiting on me," Grissom explained.

Catherine stood. "Good luck."

Grissom walked in to Ecklie's office to find Faeryn Page already there. And she didn't look happy.

"Grissom, thank you for joining us," Ecklie greeted him.

"I hope we can come to an amicable agreement," Grissom replied.

"Well, it's quite simple," Ecklie began. "As I understand it, you two had no idea about your…relationship and I am the one that hired Page. So as long as you don't work the same shift or the same case, we won't have a problem."

"That's it?" Grissom asked.

"That's it," Ecklie replied.

Grissom got up and left. Fae let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She had half expected to get fired for something she had no control over.

"Thank you, Mr. Ecklie," Fae stood.

"Not so fast, Page. I need to speak with you about another matter," Ecklie wasn't going to let her get away that easy. "There is a lab policy against dating coworkers."

"If you work the same shift," Fae clarified. "Which Greg and I don't."

"Yes, but Sanders works with Grissom," he responded.

Fae was frustrated. Just because someone donated half their DNA did not make them a relative. "Ecklie, please, I found out yesterday that Grissom was my biological father. We have no attachment as you've alluded."

"Still," Ecklie wasn't going to give her an inch. "I can't allow there to be even a hint of impropriety."

Fae opened her mouth to protest, but Ecklie cut her off. "But I'm not heartless," Ecklie smiled, but it looked more like a sneer. "Sanders can switch shifts and the problem will be solved."

Fae nodded. "Would you like me to tell him?"

"I'll speak to him before shift today," Ecklie told her, then he dismissed her, "That's all."

Faeryn left, sending Greg a text as soon as she was out of Ecklie's eyesight. She wanted to warn him that it was coming sooner rather than later. She was just glad that they had already talked about it.

After she hit send, she made a beeline for Gil Grissom's office. Her parents had made sense to her last night and she needed to talk to him. If nothing else, she might be able to find out the name of her birth mother.

When she got to his office, Grissom was sitting at his desk looking over a report. He looked as if he had been there for hours, not the minutes he'd actually been there. She knocked on his doorframe to get his attention.

Grissom was a little surprised after he looked up. "Page, what can I do for you?"

"Can we talk for a moment?" she awkwardly asked.

"Of course," he responded and motioned for her to come in.

"I just wanted to apologize," Fae started, as she walked towards his desk.

Grissom interrupted her, "You have no reason to apologize."

Fae dropped in to the chair. "Yes, I do. My reaction was…inappropriate."

"You were in shock, as was I," Grissom replied. "It is completely understandable."

"Thank you for understanding." She hesitated. She wanted to ask him something but wasn't sure about it. Finally, she just spit it out. "I was wondering if you'd want to have dinner sometime to…discuss everything."

Grissom smiled slightly. "I would like that. I would like that a lot."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Greg Sanders let out a sigh as he walked out of Ecklie's office. He really didn't want to switch to days, but he didn't want to lose Fae more. She had made the last three months some of the most enjoyable of his life. Sure they'd had their fights, but waking up next to her was his bliss.

He hadn't gone a couple steps when Grissom called him into the meeting room. As he walked in he saw the rest of the team. This was not going to be good.

"I want you guys to hear this from me," Grissom started.

"What is it, Gris?" Nick Stokes inquired, concerned by the look on his face.

"You all know Faeryn Page," it was part question, part statement.

Nick, Riley Adams, Greg, and Langston Hughes all nodded. Nick elbowed Greg, the whole lab pretty much knowing that Greg was dating her. Greg held his breath, waiting for their reaction at what he knew Grissom was about to day.

"Faeryn is my daughter," Grissom told the group.

Nick's jaw dropped. Riley smiled wide. The professor only blinked and Greg just nodded. No one quite knew what to say.

"Your daughter?" Nick was the first to speak up.

Grissom nodded. "When she was attacked, her DNA was run. While processing the scene, I cut my hand and so mine was run as well. Wendy made the discovery."

"You didn't know?" Nick questioned incredulously.

Grissom shook his head subconsciously. "I had no idea," he told them honestly.

Everyone then seemed to have the same though as they all looked at Greg. "I just found out, too," Greg stated.

"And because of that, Ecklie has decided it's best if Greg switches shifts," Grissom laid the rest of the news on them.

"What?" Riley spoke up first this time.

Nick looked stricken, but didn't say a word. He couldn't bear the thought of losing another teammate, even if it was only to the day shift. He shook his head in despair.

"It's Ecklie's decision and we have to abide by it," Grissom explained to Riley and Nick. "But it won't be effective for two weeks so that Greg can finish up some of his cases and so that Ecklie can get someone from days to switch."

"Great," Riley replied. "Just what we need. A forced replacement!" She let out a disgusted breath.

She was about to say something else, but the look on Grissom's face warned her not to. He was not any happier about this than she was. But Ecklie's mind was made up and there was no changing it.

"Now, here are the assignments," Grissom started handing out scenes. There was no discussion to be had.

Greg was relegated to the lab, processing evidence for his and the other's scenes. Ecklie had made the decision to ground him unless it was absolutely necessary for him to be in the field. Greg didn't like it and he knew Fae wasn't going to be happy with it when she found out. But he wanted to keep his job and her, so what else could he do?

Part way through the shift, Grissom came in to the lab where Greg was working. His face was pinched and Greg was sure he had more bad news.

"Greg," Grissom started. "You're off the Sydney Edwards case."

"What?" Greg was incredulous. Were they going to demote him too? "Why?"

"Before you get too excited, I'm off of it too," Grissom tried to pacify him a little. "The blood drop you found on the shirt around Sydney's neck matches blood found at the break-in at Page's house."

"Oh," Greg replied, understanding more. Then, wanting to get this out Greg added, "About Fae…"

Grissom held up his hand to stop him, knowing what he was going to say. "Greg, I really have no say in her decisions. You don't have to win me over to the idea of you two dating."

"Gris, you've been a mentor and a friend," Greg continued his original thought anyway. "And I know you've just found out Fae was your daughter but, although I don't have to win you over, I would really like to." Greg smiled weakly.

Grissom was touched that Greg thought so much of him. Sometimes he wondered. "Greg," Grissom put his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "As long as you make her happy, I'm happy."

"Thank you," Greg smiled. It wasn't quite his blessing, but, from Grissom, it was enough.

And it made him smile extra wide when Fae answered her door when he got off shift.

"Top of the morning to you," Fae greeted Greg as he walked in the door.

"And the rest of the day to you," he answered her properly, closing the door, and then pulled her into his arms. "I've missed you," he told her right before kissing her.

She had a wide smile on her face when he pulled away. "What was that for?" she asked playfully.

"Because I love you," he responded, a little giddy at saying it for the second time.

Her grin widened. "I love you, too." Then he kissed her again. She let out a little moan. "If you keep kissing me like that, I don't know if we're going to get any sleep."

"It's not like I need to be alert at work," Greg said, partially under his breath.

"What do you mean?" Fae questioned, suddenly concerned.

Greg let out a rough sigh, taking a step away from Fae. "Ecklie has me in the lab until I switch to days."

"Ugh!" Fae was disgusted. "That man just dusts my doilies!"

Greg let out a laugh. "'Dust my doilies?' Did you just channel your grandmother?"

Fae tried not to giggle, but the sound of Greg's laugh broke down her restraint. She laughed along with him. It was a good way to dissipate their anger.

"I don't want to think about it," Greg told her. "I just want to get some sleep, with you." Greg pretended to yawn to emphasis his point.

"You got it," she conceded and started walking down the hall.

A couple of hours later Greg awoke to her hands walking up his bare back and then sliding back down. He made a pleased sound. And she continued to rub his back.

Fae ran one hand down his exposed arm a couple times. She moved closer to him so that she was pressed into his back and started to stroke his chest. He made another sound to indicate his enjoyment of the attention. And when her hand moved lower, he let out a gasp.

Greg held her pleasuring hand with his as he turned to face her. He was surprised to see a few tears falling from her eyes.

"What's wrong, baby?" he asked, immediately concerned.

She tried to speak a few times, but faltered. Finally she was able to whisper, "I want to make love to you but I'm afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Greg inquired in a calm voice.

"Afraid if we start I might not be able to finish," she told him honestly. He'd been patient with her so far, she felt that he deserved the truth.

Greg lightly kissed her, knowing that it was hard for her to admit that to him. "Let me assure you," he told her, "That whatever does or doesn't happen won't bother me. I am perfectly content just lying here with you, like this."

She smiled. He knew just what she needed to hear. "And you don't mind if I'm kinda in control?" she questioned shyly.

Greg grinned, lots of different images flashing through his head. "I think that I can make that sacrifice for you."

Fae snuggled closer to Greg, her hand trailing down his side again. "Yeah?" she coyly intoned.

"Yeah," he half sighed as her hand started to stroke him again.

She kissed him urgently, not wanting to lose her resolve. "I'd like to try," she said.

Greg kissed her back, running a hand through her hair. "Then try we shall," he replied. Only they did more than try, they succeeded.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

She sat in her favorite royal blue cocktail dress as she ran her hand nervously over the pearl necklace she was wearing. She didn't even know why she had put either on. And why had she chosen such a fancy restaurant? This wasn't a date. Well, it was a _date_, but it was with her biological father, Gil Grissom.

Faeryn Page looked up right as he walked in the door. She smiled, thinking he looked handsome in his simple charcoal suit with a white dress shirt underneath. But her smile quickly faded as her nervousness returned. Why was she doing this?

Sure, she had always known that somewhere out there was a sperm donor who had contributed half her DNA, but until a few days ago, it hadn't mattered. She had a father who, although he hadn't contributed genetically, had helped mold her into the woman she was today. And a mother, who even though she didn't carry her in her womb, had instilled in her the love and caring a mother should. But now, her two genetic donors had become real people.

"How are you?" Grissom greet her as he drew near.

She stood as she answered him, "Doing well, thank you. How are you?"

"Good, thank you. Is the table ready?" he said all in one breath, already feeling uncomfortable. Fae simply nodded and let the hostess lead the way to the table.

Grissom followed behind Faeryn, taking a mental step back. He had to look at this with a scientific mind. This was an information gathering expedition, that's all. The fact that the beautiful young woman in front of him was his flesh and blood simply didn't enter in to the equation.

They made a little general chit chat about the menu and the weather outside. Both of them didn't know where to start and so avoided starting altogether. Fae figured it was easier to just avoid the subject and was prepared to do it all night if she had to.

Fae let out a chuckle at herself and the idiocracy of her own thought, completely missing what Grissom had just said. He gave her a curious look, wondering what she had laughed about. She noted his look and began to explain.

"Look, Mr. Grissom," she started.

He interrupted her. "Please, call me Gil."

She gave him a small smile. "Gil," she repeated and then quickly started to speak, "What you need to understand, well, I guess you don't really have to understand, but what I want you to realize is," she paused and took a deep breath. "Maybe I need to start at the beginning," she finally offered.

Gil only nodded. He was a little taken aback by her quick rush of words.

She took his assent and ran with it. "A maid found me abandoned in a hotel room when I was about two weeks old. I was placed with the people whom I now call mom and dad. When I was 18 I asked for my adoption records to be unsealed and found absolutely no information about either my mother or my father. So for the last 13 years, I've lived under the presumption that I would never know whom my biological parents really were. But, here you are," she indicated his presence with one of her hands. Then she shrugged.

"Here I am," he repeated her words. "I can see the…confusion that would cause."

She continued as if he hadn't said anything. "And, I'm assuming you know who my mother is because you don't seem like the type to string multiple woman along. Which adds another dimension to this: facing the woman that left me all those years ago."

Gil took her pause as a chance to step in. "Yes, I know who your mother is," he told her. "But I haven't seen her since before you were born. And I certainly understand your feelings. What I want to assure you of is I'm not looking to become 'dad' or to replace anyone in your life. You've obviously been raised by two loving people and have done well for yourself."

"Thank you," she blushed a little. Then a thought hit her. "Wait, you haven't seen her since before I was born? What happened?"

Gil hesitated for a moment. "I dated her in college. Actually, I was going to ask her to marry me at Christmas our senior year of college. She decided to go to her parents' house and so I decided to put it off until New Years. Only, I never saw her again."

Fae's jaw dropped. "Never saw her again?"

Gil told her something he'd never told anyone else, "She called me on Christmas and said she had made it alright. But after she didn't return for New Years, I called her parents. They said she had called them and told them that she was spending Christmas with me. Neither of us ever heard from her again."

"I'm so sorry," she replied. "And here I am, bringing back all these painful memories."

Gil gave her a slight smile. "It was nothing you could have known." Then, not wanting to dwell on Tess or what might have caused her to abandon him and then their child, he changed the subject, "So, tell me about you and your family."

Fae's smiled widened at the thought of her parents and siblings. She proceeded to tell him about the people who raised her and the family that always treated her like one of their own. She then asked Gil about his life.

Gil started to talk about his accomplishments, but she stopped him. She was familiar with his work, as were a good of criminalists on the west coast. So he was at a loss at what to tell her.

"So, where do we go from here?" Fae asked as they walked out of the restaurant after a nice evening.

"Where do you want it to go?" he turned the question back on her.

She smiled at him. "I'd like to have dinner again sometime," she told him.

"I'd like that too," he replied. Having a daughter was an idea he could get used to.

Her smile grew. She was about to say something about how she was glad he liked the idea when his phone rang.

"It's the lab," he informed her before answering. After a few brief words he looked up at her and mouthed an "I'm sorry." Then he pointed to his car to indicate he had to go.

Fae nodded her acknowledgement and then gave him a small good-bye wave. She walked back to her car, feeling a little lighter. She had a biological father, and he wasn't half bad.

The corners of her mouth turned down. Her biological mother was another story. She wanted to ask Gil more questions about her, but she could tell he'd already told her more than he'd told most about Tess Wilson. Maybe in the future she could learn some more. And then maybe, just maybe, she could find Tess, and find out what happened 31 years ago.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Faeryn Page checked the caller ID on her phone as she drove to work. She really didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment in time, but it might be Greg. And she was always willing to talk to Greg. But, it wasn't Greg; it was the lab's main line. It looked like she was going to have to pick up the phone anyway.

"Faeryn Page," she answered not knowing whom from the lab it was.

"Page, I need to see you in my office when you arrive." It was Ecklie. Of course he didn't introduce himself. His ego was so big he just assumed you knew who it was. Luckily, she did.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, a little bit concerned. It had been a week since it had been revealed that her birth father was Gil Grissom. It had already caused her boyfriend to have to switch shifts. What could possibly be wrong now?

"Just some police business," he replied and then hung up.

She pondered what sort of police business could require her in Ecklie's office. Maybe something to do with one of her cases? But then, wouldn't she be talking to her supervisor, Catherine? What could she have done wrong? Fae let out a sigh. Luckily she wasn't too far from work, so her stomach wouldn't have to stay knotted for too long.

By the time she made it to the office, her imagination had gotten away from her, and she was feeling sick to her stomach. She imagined everything from being arrested on mistaken identity to having accidentally committed a felony. She steadied her self as she knocked on Ecklie's door.

"Come in," Ecklie called, not even looking up from his desk.

Fae opened the door. "You wanted to see me?" she questioned as she entered.

"Faeryn, yes," Ecklie looked up at her. "I have received an information request from the Denver PD regarding you."

"Regarding me?" Fae was confused.

"It has to do with a cold case file. Apparently you were a collateral DNA match," he told her.

Fae flopped down in one of his chairs, not trusting her knees to hold her. "What sort of collateral match?"

"He didn't say," Ecklie informed her. Then he handed her a piece of paper. "Here's the detective's name and telephone number. I told him you would assist him in any way you could."

Fae was speechless as she reached for the piece of paper. How could she help? She hadn't lived in Denver since she graduated high school. And a collateral match? Did she have an unknown half-sibling that was the victim of a crime? Maybe a random cousin was a murderer? Possibly just a bad match?

Fae stood and started to leave. "Thank you, Ecklie," she finally said as she made her way out the door.

Fae ducked in to the first empty room she could and dialed the number Ecklie gave her. She held her breath as it rang and only when voice mail picked up did she let it out. She left a quick message giving Detective Peter Caffrey her personal cell so that he could call her directly. Now she would just have to wonder what he wanted until he called.

"Something wrong?" Catherine's voice startled Fae and brought her back to reality.

Fae blinked a couple times, trying to get her bearings. Her mind had wondered off and she hadn't realized she was still at work. "Huh?" was the only thing she could respond with.

"I said," Catherine started to repeat herself, "Is something wrong? You've been staring at the shard of glass for the last five minutes."

Fae looked down at object in her gloved hand then back up at Catherine. "Sorry," she lamely apologized. "I'm a little distracted."

"Anything you need to talk about?" Catherine asked. She understood the importance of emotional well being in her workers.

Fae started to say something, but stopped herself. How could she possible relay the concern that was eating away at her? Finally she just shook her head. "I'm alright. Just got to get my head in the game."

"Well do it quick or take a break," Catherine ordered. "You don't want to miss something because you weren't looking."

Fae nodded. "Will do," she replied. Then her phone rang. She noticed the Denver area code and her heart stopped. "I really need to take this," she told Catherine. "Was there something else?"

Catherine shook her head and took her exit as Fae answered. "Hello?"

"Is this Faeryn Page?" a deep masculine voice asked.

"It is," she replied. "Can I help you?"

"This is Detective Caffrey from the Denver PD," the voice identified himself. "Have I caught you at a bad time?"

"No, no," she responded a little too eagerly. "What can I do for you Detective Caffrey?"

* * *

Greg Sanders used his key to get in to Fae's house. He had knocked but hadn't received any answer. He was sure she was home because her car was in the driveway and he could see the TV flickering in the front window. He figured she had just fallen asleep.

"Fae," he called as he walked in the front door, just in case she was in the bathroom or something. "It's me, Greg." He turned and locked the door behind him.

He started to walk down the hall and peer into the living room where the TV was on and it finally hit him that the sound wasn't on. He looked over the top of the couch and saw Fae curled up. She appeared to be sleeping.

He walked around the couch and sat on the coffee table in front of where she was sleeping. He watched her for a few minutes, just studying her features. He loved the light pink that clung to her cheek and the way her lashes rested against her skin. He reached out his hand to brush her shoulder and gently wake her up. Only, she didn't wake gently.

As soon as his hand came in to contact with her skin, her eyes flew open. She grabbed his wrist with surprising strength and started to twist his arm.

"Woah, Fae, it's me, Greg," he quickly said, trying to calm her.

She blinked her eyes at him a couple times and then slowly let go of him as recognition hit her. "Sorry," she apologized, sitting up. "Was having a nightmare."

Greg moved to sit on the couch next to her and put an arm around her. "It's alright. Just remind me not to piss you off!" he playfully replied.

Fae wanted to laugh, but all she could muster was a small, sad smile.

He put his other arm around her and pulled her closed. "What's wrong?"

She let out a loud sigh. "I got a call today, from the Denver PD."

Greg furrowed his brow. "Are your mom and dad alright?" he immediately asked, figuring that's what was wrong.

Fae patted Greg's leg. "No, no, Jackie and Bruce are fine," she told him, then burst in to tears.

"Hey, hey," he ran his hand down her back trying to soothe her. "What's wrong, Faeryn?"

She pulled back from him slightly and wiped the tears from her eyes. "My DNA was a match to the murder victim in a cold case," she started.

Greg's eyes widened in surprise. "A murder victim?"

"It was a maternal match," she told him. "My birth mother was murdered 31 years ago."


End file.
